Restoring the Gulf Coast

The Gulf of Mexico is home to approximately 15,000 unique species of wildlife, including 28 types of dolphins and whales, five different sea turtles, and 49 species of sharks. A wide variety of habitats support this abundance of wildlife, including wetlands, barrier islands, coral reefs and oyster beds.

BP and the other companies responsible for the disaster have paid significant criminal and civil fines. As much as $16 billion of these fines could be spent over the next two decades for helping Gulf wildlife and restoring estuaries, wetlands, oyster reefs, and other important habitats. We have staff working in all five Gulf states to make sure this money is spent to benefit the Gulf and its wildlife.

Restoring Gulf Ecosystems

The money from the legal settlements provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore the Gulf — from the BP disaster and from the previous century of overuse. These funds should be spent on projects that will benefit Gulf wildlife, such as efforts to:

Restore the Balance Between Fresh and Salt Water: Over the past hundred years most of the rivers that flow into the Gulf have been leveed, dammed, deepened, or straightened. Where possible, restoring more natural flows of fresh water and sediment into our coastal estuaries will benefit fish and wildlife, both along the coast and in deeper waters.

Rebuild Wetlands: The entire Gulf Coast is rapidly losing marshes and wetlands, but the problem is most pronounced in Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta, which loses an average of a football field of land every hour.

Bring Back Oyster Reefs: Some Gulf estuaries have each lost more than 90% of their historical oyster reefs. Restoring oyster reefs across the Gulf will improve water quality, recreate lost habitat for fish, and better protect communities from hurricanes.

Protect Key Landscapes: The Gulf Coast hosts many different types of habitats, including barrier islands, beaches, dunes, marshes, swamps, and coastal prairies. Where appropriate, key parcels of coastal lands should be acquired and managed for the health of the Gulf. Additionally, these oil spill penalties could support voluntary conservation measures on private lands.